posted by Hayden Brooks -

Jun 12, 2018

It's been two years since the horrific mass shooting at Orlando's Pulse nightclub took the lives of 49 people when a gunman opened fire as a night of dancing was coming to a close. Survivors and protestors staged a rally on Monday (June 11) at Orlando City Hall, arguing for tougher gun regulations just one day before the second anniversary of the tragic event.

"Two years ago, I was washing my hands in a bathroom sink when I heard an assault rifle fire 45 rounds in one minute," Brandon Wolf, a survivor of the 2016 shooting, said. "I learned those rounds killed 13 of my best friends...But the real crime here is that my story isn't unique anymore. We live in an America where our leaders would rather beg for money from the NRA [National Rifle Association] than do something to protect our children."

Wolf was joined by student activists and survivors fromMarjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed in a shooting on Valentine's Day. "Not even four months ago, I found myself on the floor huddled with my classmates not knowing if we were going to die," Aly Sheehy, a recent Marjory Stoneman Douglas graduate, said during the rally. "I am tired of meaningless tweets and empty words of promise by our politicians. I fight because I am tired of being told I am too young to understand. … I am now 18, and come November I am going to fight for the future that our friends don't have anymore. I am going to fight for the people who don't have a future anymore. To the politicians, I hope you hear our screams now because they're only growing louder."

Rick Scott, the Governor of Florida, has since proclaimed June 12th as Pulse Remembrance Day.